Senior Network Operations Analyst

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Chapel Hill (NC); Hybrid; USD 85,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks a Senior Network Operations Engineer to join a hybrid Operations Center role. You will monitor critical IT services, respond to incidents, and enhance the monitoring platform while collaborating with Network Deployment, Engineering, Wireless, and Architecture teams.

The position emphasizes growth for early-career technologists with hands‑on field work and cross-team collaboration across infrastructure groups.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge or experience with networking/data communications technology.
• Demonstrated communication skills (verbal and written).
• Demonstrated experience in the Information Technology field.
• Candidate must accommodate flexible shifts and understand the challenges of a 24/7/365 environment.

Responsibilities

• Mentor coworkers and help lead technical projects within the group.
• Vigilantly monitor IT services and infrastructure to ensure system availability and performance.
• Identify, analyze, and help resolve service disruptions and potential issues before they impact operations.
• Support and enhance the centralized monitoring platform, including onboarding new systems from central IT and other university departments.
• Work in the field with the Network Deployment team and collaborate with Network Engineering, Wireless, and Architecture on network management, configuration, and troubleshooting.
• Participate in the design, implementation, and maintenance of network systems to support institutional goals and technical standards.
• Execute established incident response procedures, independently manage event escalations, and provide clear, timely communication during outages or service degradations.
• Contribute to process documentation, performance metrics, and continual improvement efforts across operational and networking domains.

Skills

Networking

Monitoring

Incident response

Communication

Field work

Python

Education

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Opsview

xMatters

Cisco IOS

Windows

Linux

Aruba wireless

Job description

Senior Network Operations Engineer

Position Summary: This rare and exciting opportunity offers a hybrid role in networking and IT service monitoring within a 24×7×365 Operations Center. The position provides hands‑on exposure across multiple infrastructure teams, allowing rapid growth and skill development for early‑career technologists. Responsibilities include monitoring critical IT systems, responding to incidents, enhancing the monitoring platform, and collaborating with Network Deployment, Network Engineering, Wireless, and Architecture teams.

Primary Responsibilities

• Mentor coworkers and help lead technical projects within the group.
• Vigilantly monitor IT services and infrastructure to ensure system availability and performance.
• Identify, analyze, and help resolve service disruptions and potential issues before they impact operations.
• Support and enhance the centralized monitoring platform, including onboarding new systems from central IT and other university departments.
• Work in the field with the Network Deployment team and collaborate with Network Engineering, Wireless, and Architecture on network management, configuration, and troubleshooting.
• Participate in the design, implementation, and maintenance of network systems to support institutional goals and technical standards.
• Execute established incident response procedures, independently manage event escalations, and provide clear, timely communication during outages or service degradations.
• Contribute to process documentation, performance metrics, and continual improvement efforts across operational and networking domains.

Work Structure

This position splits approximately half of its time between the Operations Center and hands‑on work with the Networking group, depending on coverage and project needs. The dual placement creates ongoing opportunities for collaboration, cross‑training, and deeper technical integration across infrastructure teams, and provides a clear path to develop new skills and grow professionally.

Who Thrives in This Role

• Curious and eager to learn across networking and service monitoring disciplines.
• Early in their career and looking for a role with room to grow and advance.
• Comfortable balancing structured monitoring work with hands‑on fieldwork.
• A clear communicator who stays calm and organized during high‑pressure incidents.

Organizational Context

The role is part of the Infrastructure and Operations division within Information Technology Services (ITS), a group of over 300 professionals dedicated to advancing higher education through innovative IT initiatives, reliable infrastructure, and exceptional service delivery.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements

Master’s or Bachelor’s degree and 0‑2 years’ experience; or a combination of related education and experience in substitution.

Required Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Demonstrated knowledge or experience with networking/data communications technology.
• Demonstrated communication skills (verbal and written).
• Demonstrated experience in the Information Technology field.
• Candidate must accommodate flexible shifts and understand the challenges of a 24/7/365 environment. Requires high interpersonal, planning, organizing, communication skills, and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications, Competencies, and Experience

• Experience in a 24/7/365 IT operations center.
• Experience in Change Management procedures.
• Experience in Major Incident Coordination.
• Experience with Opsview or another centralized monitoring platform.
• Experience with xMatters.
• Experience in Windows, Mac OS, and Linux Operating Systems.
• Knowledge of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, STP, LACP, LLDP, MLAG, MVRP, 8021q, PoE standards.
• Experience with Networking Operating Systems like XOS, Cisco IOS.
• Experience with Aruba wireless.
• Ability to code with preference in Python/Django.
• Experience with Cisco Meraki wireless.